Carton.



F. B. DAVIDSON & H. P. SHUTTS.

CARTON.

4 APPLICATION FILED DEC. s, 1911 1,990,457; Patented Mar. 17, 1914.

3 BHEETSPSHEBT 1.

F. B. DAVIDSON & H P. snows. CARTON.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 6, 1911.

LWGAWQ Patented Mar.1'7,1914;.

3 SHBETSSEEET 2.

23 Wm, 6 gy waxy F. BfDAVIDSON 65H. P. snows.

CARTON.

APPLlOATIOK FILED DBO. 6, 1911.

LQQQAEK PatentedMar. 17, 1914;

l to cartons of other war; rain stares harem orator- FRANK B. DAViCDSOLl AND HARRY P. SHOTTS, F M lRSEILLES, ILLINOIS, ASSlG-NORS TO HOWE AND DAVIDSON COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CARTON.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed December 6, 1911.

Patented Mar. 17, k914i. Serial No. 664,257.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK B. Davnr so): and HARRY P. SHoTrs, citizens of the United States, and residents of Marseilles. in the countyof La Salle and State ofIllinois have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cartons; and we do hereb declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in paper boxes or cartons of that class in which the side and bottom walls thereof are provided with integral flaps which are inter-folded and interlocked to form the end walls of the box;

This invention is illustrated in the acconipanying drawings, as embodied in a, box or carton ofelongated shape, the ends of which are square and are formed by a plurality of interlocking flaps, and the top wall of which is formed by a flap that is adapted to be opened for inserting the contents of the box, but the invention may also be applied shapes and to cartons having but' one wall that isiformed by interlocking flaps.

The invention consists in themattershercinafter set forth, and more partitularlv pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawings-Figure 1 is a perspective view of a box or carton made in accordance with our invention; Fig. 2 is a perspecside and bottom walls of thebox set up, but with the interlocking flaps opened ontwardly away frorh'tlieir locking positions to more clearly show the construction thereof; Fig. 3 is a similar view showing" "in their closed positions carrying the locking-tongue and the lockingtongue partially inserted into the lockingslit that receives the same; Fig. 4 is an end view of the box with the se l'eral flaps in their partiallv interlocked positions. Fig. 5 is a view ofone end 'ofgthc blank from whichthe carton is made. i

As shown in consists of a top wall o two parallel side walls. a a. a bottom wall. o". and end walls 0 o pthe'latter consisting each of a pluralityofinterlockingflaps. -Each' of said enri', comprises three flaps. to wit. a

'tive view ofone end of the carton with the all the end flaps but. that the drawings. the carton flap a connected with one side Wall of the box, a flap a connected with the other side wall thereof, and a flap a connected with the bottom wall of the box.

The blank for forming the carton (indicated by A in Fig. 5 consists of connected parts a, a a, a, a, and a, corresponding with. the parts of the box similarly lettered in the drawings, The fiapa on one of the side walls is provided with a tongue and th flap a on the opposite sidewall is provided with a locking slit or opening through which said tongue is inserted when the flaps are folded together and interlocked. The 'remaining or third flap c is provided with a narrowed extremity, which when the'fiaps are folded, enters between the flaps a and a at one side of the center of the boa: end.

The top walla of the box, inthe particular construction shown in the drawings, is

formed on one lateral edge of the blank and is connected with one of the side walls, so that its .free edge may be swung upwardly from the other side wall to open the box, as indicated 1n Figs. 2, 3 and 4. .The free edge f said top wall, moreover, as shown, is provided with a longitudinally extending narrow flap C which fits inside of the upper edge of he adjacent side wall. of the box when the top wall is in its closed position. The upper edge of said side wall, which is engaged by the free edge of'thr top wall, is provided with a notch or, by which the finger may engage the said flap C of the top wall to facilitate openin the carton.

he flap (i is preferably made rectangular in form and of such width that when the blank is folded or in its closed position it engages at its upper and lower margins the top and bottom walls of the carton. The locking-slit in the said flap-o, marked a in the drawing, extends from near the base of said flap. toward the free edge of the same. The flap 0 is p rovidedwith a locking tongue 0*. which so shaped and located that its treev and or extremity is directed downwardly when the flaps are folded inwardlv and is adapted to enter the said slit 0.. Said slit 0. is inclined downwardly, from its outer to its inner or looking end, whiclris engaged by the locking-tongue to hold the flaps H and c from spreadinzr apart when the flaps are interlocked. The iOTlgUQ-bGfil'lIlg lap a is made of a width a its side which i attached to'the side wall equal to thewidth of-said side wall, and the tongue a is located at or adjacent to the margin of saidflap remote from said side wall. ,Said flap a is notched at its lower edge or lowermost lateral margin to form said tongue, and the margin an of the flap at the inner side of said notch is oblique and extends diagonally from one lower corner of the flap to the base of the tongue a As preferably constructed, the flap a is provided above the slit al with two curved slits a", a", intersecting said slit near its ends, and forming a yielding sectionabove said slit that may be easily pressed inward to facilitate the insertion of the endof the locking-tongue a into said slit.

The fia a,.as shown, is made equal in width to t e bottom wall of the carton at its point of attachment thereto, and its outer end is narrowed by cutting away the flap at one side only, so as to form an oblique edge a and an ed e (1 substantially parallel with the opposite edge or" the flap, which latter is made perpendicular to the line at which the said fiap'o. joins the bottom of the box, so that the outer part of said flap a consists of a narrow part or tongue a,

which, when the flaps are folded together,

rests between the flaps a, and a at one side of the slit a and tongue a. The width of said tongue a is such and the slit (1! is so located that when the flaps are folded together the side margin a of'said tongue will approximately coincide with the inner end of the said slit a.

The tongue-bearing flap a is madeof such length that the outer margin of the tongue, when the flap is in its closed position, is 10- 'cated adjacent to the side wall a, to which the-flap a is attached. A flap B is preferably attached to the upper edge of theflap a" and is adapted to be folded inwardly heneath the top of the carton. The said tongue-bearing flap a is provided with a short slit a which extends .from the point at which the inner margin a of the lockingtongue intersects the oblique margin a of the said flap a generally in a direction away from the extremity or free end of'the said locking-tongue. As shown, said slit a" is upwardly curved and its inner end is transverse to the margin an of the flap a or gen erally parallel with the inner margin 11 of the tongue a". The slit a thus arranged, forms at the base of the locking-tongue, a concave edge, constituting in effect a hook or hook-like projection 0, adapted to engage the locking end of the locking slit. The

curved slit a is so located with respect to the slit a that when the tongue a is inserted in said slit and the flaps are brought together, or to their final position, and the sides of the cartonare parallel with each other, the upper end of the inclined margin o and the point of the projection a, will be at a considerable distance below the said slit a, and the upper extremity of the curved slit e will be adjacent to or substantially coincide with the'said slit a. The inner end of the margin a if the tongue a is so arranged relatively to the slit a that it will engage the locking end of said slit, as the tongue a is inserted in the slit, so that some degree of pressure and a slight distortion or yielding of the parts will be required in order that the projection a may be inserted through the slit,with the result that, as soon as the projection a? enters'the slit, it will spring into position for locki'hg engagement with the locking end ofsaid locking, slit." .Moieorer, by reason of the relative location of the locking end of the slit"a and the curved slit a", as above described, in the act of inserting the tongue a imsaid slit a, the hook-like projection a"? will be carried inwardly past the end of the slita, beforethe parts reach their final position, and the said, point or angle of the projectionwill be at a distance below the said slit when the parts are in their final position. It follows that, after the parts are thus'interlocked, the spreading apart of the flaps a and a? will be restrained by the en- 1 gagementof-ihe locking end of the slit a with the hook or hook-like aprojection formed by the curved slit a, at some-point between its point or angle andthe upper" end of said curved slit.

The advantage gained. by the features of construction described, is that the parts are brought into position to become with oer tainty interlocked before the flaps reach their final position in the closing of the flaps which form the-box end, or when the flaps are not in fact brought accurately to such final'position. In other words, if the flaps a and a are brought sonearly to their final position, inthe act of inserting the tongue a in the slit a'Q thatthe point or angle of the projection a is carried inwardly through or below the said slit ash-the saidvprojection' will become engaged with the inner end of said slit, and the flaps. cannot again be spread apart without breaking or distorting the parts. v

It is, of course, to be understood thatin setting up a carton of the kind described, before the filling of the same, or the insertion of its contents, it is not necessary that the box or carton should be brought to and held accurately in its rectangular form by thein-I terlocking of its end flaps, for the reason that, after the carton is filled, the closing of its-top and the application of the outer paper wrapper usually employed, will serve to fully close up the end flaps, and bring the 'side walls into parallel relation to each other. If, therefore, in the setting up of a carton made as described, throughcarelessnessor inadvertence, the end flaps are not brought accurately to'their final relative positions,- the end flaps a and a will become interlocked in a manner to prevent them from becoming detached from each other,

and to prevent any material spreading apart of the side walls ofthe carton duringthe' act of filling the same, while, at the samdtlfiifie,

adequate to prevent "the subsequent spreading apart of theside walls, will take place, while in the case of the carton herein de scribed, the end flaps will be sufficiently in terlocked for all practical purposes, when the sameare brought near, or only approxr mately to, the position that they occupy when the carton is 'finally closed; In other words, our present improvement enables the end flaps to be readily placed in interlocking, relation, while insuring that the flaps will not become disconnected from each other through failure to bring the flaps accurately or exactly into a "certain relative position in the act of folding the blank'to form the carton. 4 i

It is to be understood that a box or carton embodying the features constituting our invention may differ in various features from the construction illustrated in the 313C011}- panying drawings, and we do not therefore desire to be limited to the particular details of construction shown in said drawings, except so far as th'esanie may be specifically set forth in the appended claim;

We, claim as our invention A paper box or carton having connected bottom and side walls, and provided on its side walls with interlocking iiaps, and on its bottom wall with a flap adapted to be interposed between the interlocking flaps when the flaps are folded, one of said interlocking flaps being provided with a lockin slit extending from its base toward its tree end, and the other locking flap provided with an angular notch having obliquely arranged edges, and forming a laterally extending locking tongue for insertion in the locking slit of the-other interlocking fiap, with its oblique edge engaging the end of said locking slit, a11d a curved locking slit extending above the intersection of the oblique edges of said notch and forming a continuation of the oblique edge, thereof, said slit being adapted to engage the end of the locking slit of the other interlocking flap and to lock said flaps together before the same are brought to their final relative positions.

In testimony, that we'claim the foregoing vas our invention we atfix our signatures in the. presence of two witnesses, this 28th day of November A. D. 1911.

i FRANK B. DAVIDSON.

- HARRY P. SHOTTS. Witnesses:

. W. B. DAVIDSON, G. C. Davinson. 

